Switching Gears: Cadillac unveils sleek new logo at NAIAS

This post is in partnership with Cadillac. The All New ATS Coupe has arrived. Check it out here. #ATSCoupe

There’s a reason rappers spit rhymes about Cadillacs. They’re iconic. A sign you’ve arrived. Much like champagne and caviar, Cadillac has become synonymous with luxury. Since 1902, Cadillac’s master mechanics have sent luxury wheels off the production line with the familiar mark of excellence, a crown, chevron and laurel wreath trifecta. But much has changed since Caddy’s first car (a two-seat horseless carriage powered by a single-cylinder engine) rolled off the lot.

Fast-forward to 2014, many years and significantly more “horses” later, Cadillac’s unmistakable crest has evolved. As a brand with a heritage of evolution, it makes sense that the crest has been modified more than 35 times in Cadillac’s 112-year history. Appearing in vehicles starting mid 2014, we’ll see Cadillac’s sleek, sophisticated new emblem.

While Caddy’s iconic ‘crest’ shape and color palette from the original “coat of arms’” remains intact, the emblem has evolved. It now channels the sleek, aerodynamic vehicle form – the lower, leaner mantra of current car designs.

We couldn’t imagine a better way to see the Cadillac’s new logo than to get a firsthand look at NAIAS in Detroit. So that’s just what we did. Knstrct got in the driver’s seat (okay, okay, we were more like backseat drivers) and chatted up Nathan Korkus, the lead designer in charge of spearheading the logo revamp. Nathan proved to be a consummate team player, giving his design team a slough of verbal high fives and touting their respective talents.

When we asked how Cadillac’s most recent logo evolved into the streamlined version being unveiled, Nathan shared, “The part we focused on was keeping a crest-like badge, that’s the key element present through the history of the brand – dating back to the early 1900′s. Then, proportions came along as the design of the car advanced. The elements of the new logo evolved from the historical attributes of the badge.” There you have it folks. A new era is upon is, with a new logo to prove it. Sleek and streamlined, paving the way for a bright new future, while still looking in the rearview at the burnout marks of the past.

Photography by KNSTRCT

This post is in partnership with Cadillac. The All New ATS Coupe has arrived. Check it out here. #ATSCoupe